#90 Pinky swears

Yes, back in second grade when I scored a birthday party invite there was some social protocol that followed. I put the brightly colored cardboard on the fridge, we checked the kitchen calendar, and my mom phoned the other kid’s mom to let them know I’d be there.

The RSVP was my firm, unwavering commitment to an afternoon full of sweaty backyard races, spicy carpetburn, and screaming sugar highs. When you said you’d be there you’d be there.

These days the world is full of buzzing phones, double-booking, and changing plans. Texts sit unanswered, parties shrink and shift, and sometimes nobody knows who’s coming or going.

That’s where pinky swears come in.

When someone offers a pinky, they’re showing that they’re actually interested in following through. Accept that pinky and you enter into an unbreakable promise to get there too.

Locking pinkies and making the oath of commitment is a break from the World of Waffling. Suddenly the half-smile and headnod expectations we had get airlifted to a higher place. After pinky-promising to host the party, ask him to prom, or finish the project, we’re suddenly sitting together on the top of the mountain – with the world of empty seats, unasked questions, and broken promises lying far, far below us.

I haven’t pinky swore to anything in such a long time. I think I made my daughter pinky swear that she was going to clean her room one time.
My best friend and I have this thing…. when one of us is tired we say something like, “Can you carry me?” That’s when the other offers a pinky and we lock pinkies and hold them up about shoulder high and walk…. its weird I know, but its just a thing we do.
ps… pinky is a weird word now. I have read and said it too many times.

The promise-swear in my time was different and was only done with a very select few. Shelley was the first I trusted with this; we were 12 at the time and I actually still have the record!
Though it may sound Goth, Twilight, or even groase, it was not.
I don’t know where this originated or who taught us.
We wrote the promise out on the prettiest paper we could find.
We poked a needle in a finger until it bled.
Then while we read the promise in unison, we pressed our fingers together until we believed we’d blended our blood. This was an eternal promise.

I only learned about the pinky swear in the early 90’s from one glue movie, “Drop Dead Fred”, which IS awesome!!!
Since we don’t swap blood anymore for obvious reasons, I’ll have to try the pinky swear out:)

There really is something special about a pinky promise. I don’t know if the other person felt like this, but I always felt like it was my way of having a guarantee that YOU were as into the idea as I was. I know that I’m going to keep my word, but other people I am never that sure of.

If you pinky swear, at least you have something that’ll hold up in people’s court!

Many can handle the pinkie swear, but I’m sure not many people who read this can handle the ULTIMATE PINKY SWEAR. Pinkies locked, pointer fingers locked, and then thumb against thumb. Only use this when you are swearing something serious like to be best friends forever or to make sure all the groomsmen make it to the wedding.